Living in the results-driven industry of professional sport it is difficult to dress up defeats. Especially when they come against a side bottom of the league and your organisation is as big as Leeds Rhinos.
There's no getting away from the fact that this could be a damaging defeat for the Rhinos, who had an opportunity to move within a point of the play-offs but instead now risk being out of the picture given Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons are next up.
But if Leeds do miss out on the top six it shouldn't be this game that's looked back on as the defining moment. Leeds were without their first-choice fullback, two senior halfbacks, their star hooker and best centre. Throw in the absence of two regular front-rowers to the mix and Leeds were always up against it here. If you took those players out of any other team in Super League, they'd also come up short.
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If anything, this loss only further emphasised how critically the club must fix up their injury and disciplinary issues that have become an all too familiar problem over the last 18 months. The Rhinos have had more suspensions than any other club this year and right up there for injuries too. When an issue persists for so long it becomes more than a matter of bad luck. There's always an element of misfortune given the nature of the sport but other factors are involved when the issue is sustained.
Disciplinary in particular can't be put down to rotten luck (though some may argue Leeds get a rough ride from Match Review Panel). But the truth is this; if Leeds continue to have too many of their senior players off the field too often, they won't progress. Recruitment is going to be pivotal of course, but if the players who come in join the habit of missing games regularly, it will mean little.
As for the game itself, Leeds' effort levels in scorching heat were admirable. Their goal-line defence was largely excellent with several players coming up with big try-saving efforts. The work rate of the players was exemplary, Nobody could have watched Leeds on Saturday and said they lacked pride.
Quality was, as expected, lacking at times. Leeds had five good-ball sets in the game and it's difficult to think of a time when they looked like scoring. In the first half, Brad Dwyer's break from deep on the hooter was the only real opportunity. Leeds did cut through a number of times later in the game but just couldn't land the final pass. On another day with better execution, they'd have probably snuck home.
That's somewhat frustrating because though Toulouse were good value for the win, they didn't really break down Leeds beyond the times they posted points. Leeds' biggest defensive issue wasn't uncommon, they simply gave up too many easy metres down the middle after contact. Toulouse players were regularly making six or seven metres post-contact, an issue that has been too common this year.
Leeds' pack boasts a lot of attacking threats but without the ball, there are some individuals who have to tidy up their game. It's not just one or two either, you could pick out several. As a result, Toulouse were simply running five drives and a kick and making 70 metres. Of all the shortcomings on Saturday, that was the biggest.
But on a positive note, if this was a glimpse into the future, it wasn't bad overall. To a man, all of the younger players played with passion. Did they showcase their ability throughout? Perhaps not, but these are young men, in some cases they are teenagers.
You could pick out the weaknesses of the youngsters if you want but it's not really a productive thing to do. These are young lads learning their craft who will have benefitted immensely from this game. Of course, they can improve; Sam Walters' defence can be sloppy, Jack Sinfield and Corey Johnson probably needed to take the game by the scruff of the neck a bit more, Max Simpson needs to fill out, Jarrod O'Connor is clearly very new to playing hooker. But all of the above, given their age and experience, isn't a bad thing or even a criticism.
You're better off looking at Simpson's bravery of taking carries away from his own line against men twice his size or Sinfield's superb try-saving tackle on Romain Navarrete, a Super League champion with Wigan. Toulouse struggled to handle Walters every time he carried the ball and O'Connor was tireless defensively and did look to create things in a new position. Then of course you have Morgan Gannon who has to be among the best teenagers across the globe right now. He was probably Leeds' best player on the night.
All that said, it's hard not to still have the nagging concern of missing out on the play-offs. Is that an essential goal for the Rhinos right now? It's probably the short-term objective but somewhat irrelevant in the long-term. The Rhinos will probably need to win more than they lose in their last eight games and given half of their remaining games are against the top four, it might be a struggle.
But if that does become a reality, it shouldn't be this defeat that's blamed for it.
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